Kolkata: Murshidabad’s Beldanga remained tense for the second consecutive day after protests erupted over the death of a migrant worker, whose body was recovered in Jharkhand where he worked as a street vendor. The agitation has disrupted road and rail connectivity, with fresh allegations of vandalism and repeated attacks on journalists raising serious questions about the administration’s ability to prevent mob violence in a region prone to such tensions.The unrest took a violent turn on January 16 when Zee 24 Ghanta journalist Soma Maity and her cameraman were assaulted while covering the protests. Recounting the incident in tears, Maity told The Wire, “I’ve been a journalist for so many years, but I’ve never faced anything this terrifying. Two men grabbed me and lifted me up. One kept pulling my hair, while others held my legs and tugged at my clothes. They were touching me all over.”She added, “They snatched my mobile phone. Even though I kept calling out to the police again and again, no one came forward to help me. The few local people who tried to save me were also beaten. Our cameraman was attacked too; his head was split open.”Reports from the ground indicate that at least people were injured during the January 16 unrest, many of them media workers.Agitators during a protest over the death of a migrant worker in Jharkhand, in Murshidabad, West Bengal, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. Fresh unrest gripped West Bengal’s Murshidabad district on Saturday as protesters again blocked National Highway-12 and railway tracks at West Bengal’s Beldanga. Photo: PTI.As criticism mounted, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who holds the Home portfolio and is directly responsible for law and order in West Bengal, faced backlash for what critics described as evading accountability while the police struggled to contain the situation. Instead of assuring decisive protection for the public and media, Banerjee advised the assaulted journalist to stay away from the crowd.“I am not supporting this, but I am telling people not to enter into the crowd. This is not in my hands. I did not cause the incident. I did not ask people to go into the mob,” she said. Banerjee’s remark sparked renewed political backlash, with critics linking it to earlier controversial statements in which she had discouraged women from stepping out at night – comments that were widely condemned at the time as placing the burden of safety on women rather than the administration.Alleging a political conspiracy, Banerjee claimed, “Migrant workers are being tortured. The BJP is instigating riots, and behind this, there are agencies of the [Union] government of India.” She asserted there was a deliberate attempt to spread unrest in Bengal, blaming the BJP and central agencies.Journalists attacked againOn the ground, however, the volatility continued. Journalists were attacked again today, January 17, while reporting on the protests. Demonstrators allegedly vandalised the railway gate near Beldanga station and damaged a railway signal, disrupting services on the Krishnanagar-Lalgola route despite the deployment of additional forces.“The fact that this happened in front of the police is even more condemnable… no one has the right to snatch away a journalist’s rights,” said senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. He alleged that police deployment was compromised due to a rally by Trinamool Congress MP and the CM’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee in Baharampur. “The Murshidabad police are busy managing security for the khokababu [little boy],” he remarked.The death of Alauddin SheikhThe unrest began after reports of Alauddin Sheikh’s death emerged on January 15. Sheikh’s body was found hanging in Jharkhand. His family members and villagers alleged he was beaten to death and then hanged to stage a suicide. When his body was returned to the village on Friday, residents demanded swift arrests and exemplary punishment, blocking the highway and railway tracks for nearly five-and-a-half hours. This stranded thousands of commuters and triggered clashes and stone-pelting.District Magistrate Nitin Singhania later announced a 24-hour control room to monitor the condition of migrant workers from Murshidabad and promised administrative support. “Arrangements for jobs are being made. Proper punishment will be ensured for the accused. Today itself we are opening a control room. A legal task force will be active by evening,” he said.Local voices, however, suggest the Beldanga clashes reflect not just anger over one death, but the accumulated frustration of migrant families who allege months of harassment and insecurity for Bengali-speaking Muslim workers forced to seek jobs outside West Bengal due to a lack of work at home. According to the Parijayi Sramik Aikya Manch (Migrant Workers Unity Forum), at least 14 migrant workers from Murshidabad have died in other states since December 2025. Among them were Juyel Rana and Ritu Sheikh – victims of mob lynching.Security personnel keep vigil during a protest over the death of a migrant worker in Jharkhand, in Murshidabad, West Bengal, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. Photo: PTI.“The migrant workers issue needs a permanent solution. Attacks on migrant workers have increased sharply after the controversial Union home ministry circular of May 2025 on suspected Bangladeshis. The West Bengal government has not taken any action to challenge the circular. Rather, they are opening multiple helplines, which are nothing but knee-jerk reactions,” said Asif Faruk of the Migrant Workers Unity Forum.Choudhury further criticised the state’s handling of the crisis: “West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has shown no moral backbone. The anger of the protesters is completely natural. No one is denying that. We had repeatedly warned the West Bengal government to prevent such incidents. Introduce a unique identity card. Appoint welfare officers in every state. Speak to the Chief Minister of each state. Nothing happened.”With police deployed in large numbers, yet transport links repeatedly hit, the two-day unrest in Beldanga has become a major political flashpoint.